(Newser)
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Jordan Spieth got more than redemption and a green jacket today. He took his place among the best in the game with a Masters victory for the ages. One year after he lost a bid to become the youngest player to win the Masters, the 21-year-old Texan turned in one of the most dominant wins ever at Augusta National. He never let anyone get closer to him than three shots after his record start. Spieth closed with a 2-under 70, missing a 5-foot par putt on the final hole that would have set yet another record. Instead, he tied Tiger Woods at 18-under 270. For all the talk about the Grand Slam bid by Rory McIlroy and the return of Woods, this week was about the arrival of another star.

"It's awfully impressive," McIlroy said after finishing fourth. "It's great to see, great for the game, and I'm sure there will be many more." Spieth became the first wire-to-wire winner at the Masters since Raymond Floyd in 1976. He also won for the third time on the PGA Tour and fifth time worldwide. He will rise to No. 2 in the world, still a ways to go to catch McIlroy at the top. In a weird twist today, Tiger Woods screamed in pain when hitting a hidden tree root on a shot and later made a gruesome diagnosis: "A bone kinda popped out, joint went out of place, but I put it back in," he told CBS Sports (his description led to plenty of derisive responses on Twitter, the AP notes). Despite the apparent injury, Woods said he was proud of his play and finished with a 5-under 283.

Tiger who? Golf is 1000X better when Woods isn't playing or contending. Tired of hearing the CBS/ESPN sports guys ride Tigers crank even when he sucks. Golf is in fine hands with the likes of McIlroy, Spieth, Johnson & Johnson, Phil, Sergio, Adam Scott. Tiger won't contend for a major ever again.